Athletes, whether serious or casual, often obsess over the numerical details of their workouts and races: distances, times, cumulative miles.If you really want to improve your fitness level, Lakeland triathlete Brian Jones says, you should pay attention to another vital number: your heart rate.Jones has used a heart-rate monitor religiously since he became a triathlete six years ago. The device, which combines a chest strap with a wrist-worn reader, gives Jones instantaneous details about the effects of his training."There are a lot of things you can learn from a heart-rate monitor," said Jones, 48. "One of the fallacies people think is, ‘Well, I don't care what my heart rate is. I know when I'm tired and I slow down.' ... The bottom line is there's a lot more than just looking at the device and saying, ‘Oh, heart rate is 150 right now.' "Jones, who has completed two Ironman Series triathlons, said a monitor offers crucial information even when you're not in the middle of a run or bike ride. By measuring how quickly your pulse returns to its resting rate after a workout, he said, you can judge changes in your fitness level.Jones, president of the Lakeland Landsharks Triathlon Club, said the better your conditioning, the faster your pulse declines to its resting rate after an exercise session."Few people take the time to understand their fitness level from a heart-rate recovery standpoint," Jones said.He said he uses information from his monitor to tailor his training regimen. By checking his heart rate the day after a workout, he can decide whether he needs a recovery day, giving his body crucial rest and reducing the risk of overtraining.Jones currently uses a Garmin Forerunner 310XT, a sophisticated model that retails for about $250. Basic monitors sell for $50 or less.The monitor Jones owns is especially useful for serious triathletes. He said it can be set to provide speed and other readings from his bicycle, giving him valuable feedback throughout the three segments of a triathlon — swimming, biking and running.Higher-end monitors offer another benefit: The data captured during a race or training session can be transferred to a computer. Jones said he tracks the details from every one of his workouts."One of the things I like to brag about is I have every single heartbeat I have ever had training or racing on my computer," he said.Jones said heart-rate data can be transmitted to a coach in another location, a practice common among professional athletes. A coach can check the athlete's pulse progression and offer advice about dialing the training up or down.Jubie Aulisio of Lakeland is not a professional athlete, but he's a competitive cyclist, and he started using a heart monitor about a year ago. He said he bought a basic monitor on the advice of a friend who is a national champion cyclist.Aulisio, 57, said he uses the device during intensive weekly group rides. His main objective is to keep his heart rate just below his anaerobic threshold, the level of exertion at which lactic acid builds up in the muscles and the body expends short-term energy sources. For Aulisio, that's a heart rate of about 140 beats per minute."If you're there and train there consistently, the idea is you're trying to push that level back so you gain greater cardiovascular and respiratory capacity," Aulisio said.While both Jones and Aulisio are competitive athletes, they said heart-rate monitors are an important tool even for beginners or casual athletes. Aulisio said novices have a tendency to push themselves too quickly, resulting in overtraining, which can cause injuries or burnout.It's also easy, he said, to get stuck in a middle range of not training vigorously enough during designated hard workouts and pushing too much on designated easy days. Aulisio said a heart-rate monitor makes it easier to avoid those mistakes and get the most out of exercise sessions.Jones said anyone who wants to get in better shape should pay attention to his heart rate. He said monitors are not difficult to use, and online forums make it easy to get advice or have questions answered."If you care about improving and understanding your body, I think it's in everyone's best interest to understand things like heart-rate recovery and fitness level and, ‘How am I doing today? Should I take a rest day?' " Jones said. "It's not just for elite athletes."

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